As Luck Would Have It
by Butterfrogmantis
Summary: TTTE AU. Kevin is a perfectly ordinary teenage boy. He has a prosthetic hand of course, but even that doesn't seem too out of place in the modern world. That is, until his class attend the opening of the new geology exhibition and Kevin makes a shocking discovery. Could it be possible that a rock holds not only the secrets of his past, but the key to preventing intergalactic war?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

Kevin hadn't told anyone about the dream for two weeks. Not that it mattered. As Victor would say, a dream was only the brain processing information in the unconscious. Of course, he would say that, being a man of science. What business did Victor have interpreting nonsensical processes? He was a surgeon, not a psychologist. The man had made a comfortable life for himself already, opened his own hospital in Landow, Sraledo, and settled down. Eighteen hours of his life a day were dedicated to logic - to the things he saw in front of him. Kevin's dream had never seemed that logical to begin with.

The first time he'd had it, he just remembered a place. It was a strange place at that, more like a hall, or a singular room, but he couldn't remember any doors. There were huge purple columns carved from a luminescent rock of some sort. Kevin had looked online best he could, but glowing purple rocks didn't seem to exist, so he figured that it was paint, or more likely – just part of the nonsense that made up the dream. The next night, there had been people in the place. They looked mostly human, perhaps just a little taller. Only, like the rocks, their skin glowed. Every single one of the bioluminescent people had a unique array of swirling colours adorning their skin. Purples, gold's, silvers, greens, pinks, blues, oranges – any colour you could think of. It even wove its way into the hair of some of them. Similarly, their clothes were adorned, but this was definitely painted. The third night, the people spoke, but it was not English, so Kevin could never understand what they were saying.

By the end of the week, the dream had become a fully fledged scenario. A young woman would burst through the doors (which had appeared in the room on about the sixth night), and yell something in her strange language. The chattering would die away into screams and panic, and then an explosion would sound with no obvious cause. The young woman would stroll over to the centre of the room, and lift something up. That's when Kevin would be able to see her face. It was a soft, kindly face, with the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen. Silver swirls wound their way up her cheekbones, giving her an angelic appearance, like she was something more than mortal. Then, they'd be more of that strange language, softly spoken. She'd walk once, twice around the room, and place the object she was carrying into what looked like a large egg shaped rock. She'd whisper two words. _'Prixeth Corveilis' _and then there'd be nothing but an array of colours. Every colour of the rainbow would pass over Kevin's vision, and he'd get the strangest sensation of falling. He always woke up before he hit the ground.

Of course, he'd spoken to friends at school about it, but a bunch of teenage boys weren't giving quite the right answers behind Kevin's questions.

"Maybe it's from a film you saw once?" Robert had suggested.

"I think I'd have remembered it if I could recall all that. And why would I have watched a film that I couldn't understand?"

"It could be a secret message, like maybe you need to find that place or something?" Shaun piped up.

"It might be sort of hard to find a place with glowing purple rocks and people with glowing veins .."

"Orrrrrrrrrr what if it's a leaked government tape that's somehow found its way into your brain?" Gary whispered.

The other three friends glanced at each other. Gary had a tendency to slip government conspiracy theories into conversation, so much so that they weren't exactly sure which were ironic any more.

But Kevin shook his head at all three.

"It's just so incredibly ... bizarre. If it had been a one off I'd be ok, but it's been happening every night"

"Have you spoken to Victor about it?" Robert asked.

Kevin pulled a face. He trusted Victor on almost every level but this one. The man had found him abandoned outside of his surgery one night 17 years ago. There was no note, just a small wicker basket and a strange contraption lying on the pillow. The surgeon had taken the baby (Kevin) into his care, and raised him as close to a son as possible.

Kevin drummed his fingers on the table, mulling over the possibility of discussing an appointment with a dream therapist. The metallic sound echoed off the wooden desks. Ah yes, the strange contraption lying with the baby had in fact, been ... a hand. Kevin's actual left hand, for an unexplained reason, was missing. It wasn't particularly gross, and there were no medical records that might explain its reason for absence. All he had was a tiny prosthetic. Victor had noted, after observing it, that the technologies were incredible. Far more so than anything he'd seen in his own surgery. Both the wrist and fingers could be extended in such a way that they'd adjust to his wrist size no matter the age. From this, Victor had concluded that whoever had left Kevin must have been a genius pioneer of technology, and couldn't afford raising Kevin, so had left him for someone else to raise. There was no proof to confirm, but it seemed logical. Kevin hadn't been particularly upset with this theory as he'd grown to see the surgeon as a father figure long before Victor confessed his suspicions. If their bond was really that close, Kevin hoped he'd be willing to help.

The teenager decided to ask that very night, over dinner. It was Spaghetti Bolognese, one of his favourites, and a speciality dish from Angel (who happened to be Victor's wife). Victor had initially frowned and was going to gently start his lecture again, but he knew Kevin wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious, so he decided to let it go just this once.

"And you say this has been happening for weeks?" He rolled his r's around his mouth through his thick Cuban accent, contemplating the logistics behind his ward's dream.

"Like clockwork" Kevin nodded. "Surely with all our recent developments, there must be someone who can interpret it"

"Well" Victor sighed "I do not know my friend. If you have this dream again tonight, I will take you somewhere this weekend"

Kevin smiled gratefully, hoping he would get answers at last. He also hadn't been lying about the recent advancements with technology. With the uprise of robots and humans working side by side, and NASA reaching out further and further into the depths of space, all sorts of wondrous things had happened, so much so they were almost the norm. Why only earlier, Kevin had sat in front of the holographic TV and watched an interview with (the lead scientist at Sraledo Geology centre) about an interesting meteor that had fallen a couple of weeks prior. The team had not yet identified the elements inside the rock, and breaking into it had proved almost impossible, even with diamond cutters. If they could discover all of this, surely there had to be someone that could interpret a silly little dream.

Kevin went to bed that night, deciding to try and think of different things before bed. Perhaps the over thinking was causing the reoccurrences. Before he slept he thought about the new hover board spin master 3000, which he'd been saving his pocket money for, for the past few months. Even Robert, Shaun and Gary didn't have one yet, and he couldn't wait to be the first to ride one. Never the less, the dream returned to him that night. Only there was one difference. When the woman walked to the centre and picked up the thing from the middle, Kevin could see what it was. And it was a baby.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Calcium carbonate. Who can tell me the form-"

"CaCO3" Shaun's hand shot into the air once again. It was like a permanent breeze, which was rather nice for Kevin, who was particularly warm that day.

"And what s-"

"Limestone" Shaun beamed, his thick rimmed glasses steaming up a little "Found in shallow clear waters, and often used as a building material"

"Correct, ten house points"

The boy beamed. Kevin nudged his friend playfully with his elbow and pulled a face. It often helped having at least one book smart friend, especially when it came to studying for tests, but it was still fun to tease him for being 'nerdy' on occasion. Shaun didn't mind, he enjoyed the attention if anything. Kevin has always been quite the opposite. He wasn't unintelligent, and he'd never failed a test, but he didn't feel special in any way other than that. Shaun was highly intelligent; his lowest grade of the year was a B+. He won countless prizes from the school for his success in quizzes and debate clubs. Robert, for all his fixation with technology, had a following of thousands on his YouTube channel watching him tinker with gadgets and play games. Even Gary, the crazy conspiracy theorist had a talent for lazer piano (which was a musical instrument that utilized lazers rather than keys) and had even gone on to play in the grand Sraledo hall only last year.

Kevin was just ... Kevin. By morning he went to school, by evening he helped Victor and Angel around the hospital, fetching medicine and running errands, stuff everyone was capable of. He enjoyed gaming and holographic football as much as anyone else, but they didn't set him apart. Of course, he wasn't complaining, he had food, friends and a roof over his head which was lucky. But for all these amazing things, his life still felt mediocre deep down. If only he could find out who-

"Kevin?"

The teachers voice jolted him back to his senses.

"Y-yes miss?"

She rolled her eyes. was a short, plump lady who often had to stand herself on top of a pile of books when the class grew rowdy, as they all towered over her. Despite her stature, she maintained the fiercest voice in the school.

"If you hadn't been daydreaming, you'd have heard the question I asked"

"Could you possibly repeat it?" Kevin blinked, trying his best to sound polite.

rolled her eyes and pointed to a diagram on the holoboard.

"Silicate, otherwise known as the combination of silicone and oxygen, is commonly found in which space object?"

"Uhhh" Kevin panicked, realising he didn't know the answer. was giving him daggers, so he frantically searched his brain for an answer. Shaun nudged him and pointed to an 'M' on his book.

"Mars" Kevin blurted out.

The whole class was silent for a second or two, and then burst into laughter. Shaun face palmed quietly next to him, and Kevin felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment.

The teacher merely rolled her eyes and went back to drawing. "Meteorites, . Stony meteorites to be exact"

Of course. Kevin slumped down in his chair, and checked the clock. Twenty five minutes to go till lunch. Twenty five minutes too long more like.

"Now some of you may have heard about 's recent discovery at the Sraledo Geology Centre. A meteorite fell quite close to town a few weeks away, and they believe they may have discovered brand new metals inside, but have been unable to properly analyse it yet. Never the less" 's eyes lit up excitedly "We have been granted permission to attend the opening of the exhibition, and to observe this. Whilst we're there we'll be filling out form sheets on the minerals, kindly get your parents and guardians permission on these slips" She walked down the isle in the centre of the classroom, handing out sheets of paper each side. There was a general bubble of excitement and apathy for the trip.

"Why couldn't we take a trip somewhere exciting?" Robert muttered, stuffing the sheet into his bag "Like Xeno?"

"Let you loose in Xeno and we'd never find you again" Gary giggled.

Kevin grinned, agreeing with his friend. Xeno was the largest techno toy shop in Sraledo, full floor to ceiling with everything from 'my first robot' to the latest in hoverboard technology. Spin Master 3000's were certainly there. Kevin was only a couple of hundred pounds off now. But no, Robert had a point, instead they'd be trailing around looking at rocks. When (Kevin thought to himself) was a rock ever going to be exciting?

"I think you'll find more in there than you know" Victor smiled as he signed the sheet "Your studies might help you take your mind off that dream of yours"

"Yeah ... maybe" Kevin chewed a mouthful of chicken pyjama thoughtfully. He was looking forwards to the meeting with the sleep psychologist that weekend, to finally work out what the strange dream was all about. It had seemed particularly intense recently, which was odd.

"Geology includes the study of gemstones, it won't be all dull boring grey rocks" Angel giggled. "I'd go myself if I could. Take photos for my portfolio ey?" She winked across the table.

Angel was a fashion designer, and her work in the past had included several sets of gem themed dresses and suits. Some of the most notable had been her ruby dress and sapphire tuxedo. Angel couldn't walk too far at the moment without sitting down due to the baby – well, pregnancy at any rate. Kevin was going to be a 'big brother' amidst the rest of the happenings.

"... Victor?" Kevin asked trepidatiously, spearing a tomato with his fork. "Do you think there might be something wrong with me?"

The doctor blinked, surprised.

"Of course not my little buddy, why ever would you say that?"

The teenager shrugged, gazing into his salad as though it were the pool of truth.

"It's just ... everyone else seems so ... so special. My friends all have their own individual talents. Shaun's smart, Robert's great with tech, Gary can play ... you have your hospital and Angel has her outfits. I have ... nothing ... nothing but this strange dream. That's not a talent, it's just weird" He crinkled his nose, as if disgusted with himself.

Victor shared a concerned glance with his wife. She motioned her head towards the forlorn teenager, as if prompting him to speak. Victor gulped, setting his knife and fork down.

"Listen, there is no rush to find your uh, 'purpose' my friend. You are still young after all. Whatever this dream means has nothing to do with you being 'weird' – it is a figment of your imagination is it not? I say that makes you creative for a start"

Kevin pondered this as he went upstairs. His homework lay unfinished on his desk, but he pushed it aside and grabbed a piece of paper. If creativity was his skill like Victor had suggested ... maybe he was an artist? Perhaps drawing out the scenes from his dream would unlock his talent.

However after several unsuccessful attempts to get them to look the way he wanted, he discarded them into the wastepaper basket and flopped down onto his bed. He was tired of the dream, and not understanding it. He tried to stay awake as long as possible that night, fighting the urge to slip into the purple room with the strange language. He couldn't help but think that Robert had been right earlier. Xeno sure would have been a much cooler school trip, perhaps he would have found a cool gizmo he would have been able to utilise, become popular with, even. All he wanted was something to give his life some spark. There'd be nothing like that at the geology exhibit, that was for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was a rock. Give it as many fancy names as you wanted, but it was still a rock. Kevin's eyes were beginning to cross at the multitudes of squiggles describing whether they were Igneous, Metamorphic or Sedimentary, their texture, their elemental build up. It wasn't as though they were going to be useful to him; Kevin had no idea what geologists did for fun. Bake rock cakes? He chuckled to himself, and whispered the joke to Gary next to him, who snorted. glared at them and the two boys quickly covered their mouths, and tried to feign interest in the lump of gneiss that sat on a table before them. Kevin looked down at his sheet.

__Describe the rock__

Kevin chewed on the end of his pencil before writing 'squiggly'. He just hoped lunch would arrive soon.

When 12 O'clock arrived the teenager opened his lunchbox excitedly, knowing Angel always packed some of the best food for trips. He grinned as he peered inside the brown paper. Jackpot. Angel's homemade cannolis, one of his favourites. Kevin shared a few of them out between Robert, Gary and Shaun, who all gave their compliments to the chef. It was the first time all day that they could discuss something other than geodes. Instead, his friends decided to question him on the dream, and seemed puzzled with the update.

"A baby?" Gary asked, chewing thoughtfully on a shrimp sandwich, "Maybe ... maybe it's a government mission. You have to find this baby somewhere in the world."

"I thought we already agreed that wasn't the case" Shaun rolled his eyes "Even with our modern technology we couldn't literally infiltrate dreams. We barely know what they are to start with, never mind tampering with them"

"And – no offense Kev – but why would they send it to you?" Robert asked, shoving a handful of prawn cocktail crisps into his mouth.

"Well, who knows" Kevin shrugged "I'm just an ordinary teenage boy"

"Ordinary teenagers so often are the protagonists" Gary piped up.

"Yeah, but that's fiction, this is real life" The teenager glanced up at the clock and sighed "We'll talk on the bus, we've got more rocks to see first"

"And here to tell us all about it - is himself!" flushed excitedly, gazing at the scientist as though he were a piece of steak and she a hungry dog.

Finally, something more interesting than small little pebbles. The class had been granted educational access to view the newly discovered meteorite. It was tall, about 7ft high and at least 5 across, in the form of an irregular pear shape. It's surface was shiny and metallic, almost like obsidian, but with a more metallic appearance, and if you swayed back and forth the lighting overhead would catch it's iridescent surface and show a different colour each time.

"Try as we might we haven't been able to make so much as a scratch on it, never mind cut it open" wrapped his knuckles gently on the side. "But we're working in it, material this strong is obviously very rare and precious, we've dubbed it 'indissolubili sociavit petram' Until we can indentify it. You may come and feel its surface; it's unusually cold to the touch"

The class gathered around, remarking at the temperature. It was indeed cold, unusually so for something that had been tested on with heat. A few of the teenagers tried scraping at its surface with their keys and nails, but it remained smooth just as the scientist had described. Not so much as a faint white line.

Kevin shivered as his hand – his real one – glided across the surface of the meteorite. For some reason he fancied something was inside the rock, a current perhaps. He pressed an ear to the surface but heard nothing, so he tried to lean on it with both hands to press himself more firmly into it.

As soon as the fingers of his prosthetic hand touched the rock's surface, it spat at him with a small hissing sound. Nobody else but his friends heard, and the three stared at him with wide eyes. Kevin had retracted his hand instantly, and where his index finger had been there was now a small chip that had come away from 'the unbreakable rock'. The four teenagers stared at each other, dumfounded. Diamond saws hadn't cut through this rock, but his metal hand had. Kecin shoved it in his dungaree pocket, deciding he didn't want to be used as part of an experiment. He shook his head at Shaun, Robert and Gary, and stepped away, his heart pounding. That just didn't make any sense ... he'd have to sneak back somehow, see if it was a fluke. He looked around, and spotted some of the researches uniforms lying on a bench nearby. Making sure no one was looking; he stole a coat and stashed it quickly in his bag. Geology had finally become interesting.

Kevin finished his risotto with unusual enthusiasm that night, and left the table in a hurry, claiming he wanted a 'ride around town to clear his mind before bed'. Victor and Angel exchanged a dubious glance, but the teenager had left before they could say anything.

Kevin mounted his bike and sped off quickly in the direction of the lab. He'd memorised the location on the bus ride home, and luckily it was closer to Victor's hospital than it was to the school, so reaching it wasn't too much of a problem. Then next part was to sneak inside somehow.

He hid his bike in the bushes and put on the stolen lab coat, which trailed to the floor. This might be harder than it looked. He was standing their chewing at his bottom lip when he noticed a janitor exit one of the side entrances with a trolley, ready to pack up for the night. Without thinking, he walked over and asked if he could take the trolley off their hands and 'put it away'. Luckily, the night made it hard to distinguish his face, so the janitor simply agreed, happy to have the extra few minutes to himself. Kevin took the trolley into the supply closet and dove around trying to find something to help him to break in. Hidden under one of the buckets was an old janitors ID card. Wondering if it still worked, Kevin held it up to the lock on the door. It bleeped, and the teenager breathed a sigh of relief. Casting a glance down at his oversized lab coat, Kevin wondered if disguising himself as a janitor would be easier. He could use the coat as an excuse to get back into the room. With little time to spare, he grabbed spare overalls and gloves from the wall and created his ultimate disguise.

__Squeak squeak squeak__

The wheels on the trolley echoed down the empty hallway. Every step Kevin thought he might be caught. But no one had yet, and he was close to the room with the strange black rock.

__Squeak. Squeak. SCREEEE-__

Kevin pulled the trolley to a halt. A figure emerged from the room, and he bent down as is he were tying his shoe.

looked a little surprised.

"I didn't expect you to still be here at this hour, Gary"

It took a few seconds to realise Gary was the name of the janitor, not that his friend had followed him. He pointed up at the lab coat without looking up. nodded.

"Ah yes, mentioned losing her coat. Thank you Gary, just pop it in there"

He laughed heartily as he headed back down the corridors.

"By the way if any of those dissolvent's touch that rock, do let us know! Cheerio!"

Kevin let out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding. He'd made it. Now to see what was up with that rock. He threw the coat back onto the hook and approached it. It looked weirder in the darkness because it was almost luminescent. There were tiny little veins running through it, and they were rippling back and forth across the shiny surface. Taking a deep breath, Kevin placed his regular hand on the surface of the rock. Smooth. Cold. Silent. Ok. Kevin slowly raised a finger forwards from his pros ethic hand and touched a jagged edge. Sure enough, it spat at him again, and sizzled away. He jumped back in surprise. He knew he should probably tell someone, just to make sure it was safe. But ... this could be his chance. His one true chance at being a hero, of doing something good. He'd simply split the rock in half and help the scientists out. Yeah, that'd be exciting. He stood to face the rock square on, grim determination on his face. He looked down at his prosthetic hand, flexing the fingers. Oddly, the spitting rock hadn't affected his fingertips in any way. He hoped it'd survive a more fierce impact. He hesitated.

__No Kevin, for science. For something actually interesting. To find your talent and join your friends-__

"Here goes nothing" Kevin mumbled to himself, and pressed his entire palm against one of the sides of the rock. It spat and hissed, and then began dissolving away under his palm with nothing more than a small sizzling sound. A large crack spread vertically across the surface of it as the ore began to slowly split in half. Kevin peered through a slit in his eye until his hand hit something hard. Not like rock at all. More like ... metal. He stepped back, scanning his hand. Odd. Not a single scratch or burn mark. The large rock stood in place like a broken Easter egg, and then slowly, the two halves fell sideways, and Kevin's jaw dropped open.

What was standing in the centre now was a large metal pod, like something out of one his childhood sci-fi comics. Then, there was a 'pop' and the top of the pod began to rise in a great cloud of steam. The teenager was frozen in fear, half expecting a large alien monster to appear. It did not. What came out was even more shocking. It looked like a teenage boy, with pale skin and light blond hair. Only it didn't look like a teenage boy at all, because he had purple markings covering his exposed flesh, and similar ones of blue in his hair. He looked like one of species from Kevin's dream. Oh boy. This was going to be interesting.

The stranger looked a little dizzy as he stepped out of the pod; he merely took one look at Kevin and said 'messgius deliverath' before fainting clean away on the lab floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kevin stared at the stranger, baffled. He looked around but the place was deserted, and the stranger still lay unconscious on the floor. After unsuccessfully trying to shake him, Kevin decided the best course of action would be to get him to Victor's hospital ... somehow. He was taller than Kevin by a few inches which make the whole process a lot harder. Kevin supported the body over his shoulder and dragged it out to where his bike was still lying in the bushes. It was an ordinary little one seater bike and after a few unsuccessful attempts to fit both of them on it without the stranger falling off, Kevin resorted to lying the teenager across the bike and dragging it by hand. The process took a couple of hours and he was hot and tired by the time the lights of the Landow hospital came into view. The sky was beginning to grow pink at the edges, and Kevin hoped he had a good enough excuse for having been out all night. He left his bike tied up at the stand and gently lifted the unconscious teenager off of it. Bracing himself, Kevin rang the hospital doorbell. A few moments later he heard brisk footsteps, the kind Victor used when he was irritated, which wasn't often. The door was swung open and an angry Victor stood n the doorway in his pyjamas.

"Kevin where have you bee-"

The sight of the unconscious person stopped Victor in his tracks.

"I'm sorry boss, I would have been sooner but ... I found him and he needs help"

The Cuban looked too perplexed to argue with Kevin's late coming and simply nodded, taking the body off of Kevin's shoulders and taking him to a hospital bed. Kevin was exhausted by this point, both mentally and physically. Luckily it was a Saturday so Angel suggested he went to sleep. Kevin was out the second his head hit the pillow. Then, something unusual happened. For the first time in almost a month, he did not have that same dream with the baby and glowing pillars. Instead, he dreamt about the meteor he had split open. He dreamt he was back in the lab, breaking the ore open with his prosthetic hand. However this time when the rock split open, there was not a pod but an oozing sludge of bright purple and blue, which sizzled and spat at him. Kevin backed away and tried to leave, but a giant tentacle-type-thing came rushing from the slime and wrapped itself around him, trying to pull him in, suffocating him-

The teenager woke up in a tangle of his own blankets, panting heavily. He was aware of a presence in the room and looked up to see Angel holding a cup of tea, which she placed on his bedside table before sitting herself on the edge of his bed.

"Victor's starting to bring him to conscious but ..." her pearly pink lips twisted sideways. "There's something ... not right about him"

"W-what do you mean? Is he going to die?"

"Well ... we're not sure" Angel looked as though she knew something he didn't. "His vitals are ... off. And Victor noticed his blood sample was ... well ... purple. He has these weird glowing veins and Vicky thought that it was paint at first but further examination suggests they're in his skin. I'm not really one for superstition Kevin but ... whatever you've brought back can't be human"

_I guessed that from the fact he came from a space pod-_ Kevin thought to himself. Angel was still looking at him with interest.

"Kevin ... how DID you find him?"

The teenager didn't want to lie, but he didn't want them knowing about the rock – or that he'd snuck into the geology lab. He squirmed a little.

"He ... collapsed in front of me"

It was true after all; Kevin just didn't say where they had been. Angel was about to ask another question but Victor poked his head around the door.

"He's awake, but he's no making much sense"

"Can I see him?" Kevin asked, scrambling to his feet. He was curious after all.

Victor and Angel exchanged a glance before nodding.

The stranger was sitting up in his hospital bed, observing an object in his lap. Kevin realised it was a rubik's cube. The stranger turned it over once in his hand, and then snapped his fingers. The pieces of the cubes separated, rotated in mid air, and then came back together to form a completed puzzle. He smiled and set the toy down on the bedside table.

"That was ... not right. See if you can get a word out of him" Victor whispered, ushering Kevin into the room. The teenager looked up, squinted, and then started babbling a long stream of words in his strange language. Kevin simply stood, dumfounded, until the stranger realised he couldn't understand him. He sighed and beckoned Kevin closer with a waving motion. The teenager approached the other with trepidation. Once he was close enough, the stranger pressed his middle three fingers to Kevin's forehead and he felt a strange tingling sensation.

_Is he going to drain my life force?_

Kevin was about to break away, but the teenager had already pulled his hand back. Nothing seemed to be wrong with Kevin, other than a slight feeling of pins and needles on his face. He rubbed his forehead trying to get rid of the sensation.

The stranger in the bed was silent for a few moments looking as though he were deep in thought processing something. Then he smiled.

"Earth language?"

"Uhh .. yes?"

"Good. I am Philipxnethz, pleased to meet you"

"P-ph what?"

The stranger bit his lip thoughtfully, once again looking like he was trying to process something.

"Call me ... Philip. I think your human tongue will manage that"

"P-philip. Right" Kevin gulped. "I'm Kevin"

"K-ev-in" Philip rolled the name around on his tongue, and then smiled. "Ok, got it. Now, where's my pod? I took a crash landing at the milky way – attacked by Qeldoix warriors. Slimy spacekelp suckers" Philip beat a fist into his palm. "And I have an urgent message to deliver, so if you go point me in your earthly direction towards my shuttle, I should be able to stop the war before we're all wiped out"

That was too much information for Kevin to handle.

"W-war?"

"Obviously. The Qeldoix won't rest, and our good queen Evroid was lost to us many moons ago. No one's seen Corveilis for years so he's obviously no hope, and right now Eirai is doing her best to keep the situation under control but she can't hold off the war forever. I'm the Nevvix messenger for now since there's no royalty to guard."

"I ... have no idea what you're saying." Kevin blinked.

Philip sighed, as if the concept was simple.

"Many years ago the intergalactic society was peaceful, right? The Nevvix – that's where I come from – we had a lot of valuable space ore. The Qeldoix king didn't like that and he tried to attack our planet and murder the royal family. We managed to move most of the kingdom to the far side of the galaxy, but we've been at war ever since trying to build up our empire again. Queen Evroid's sister Eirai is the only royal left alive. 3 moons ago the Qeldoix king's niece went missing, and they're trying to wage war on us again thinking it's our fault. We didn't touch her, and I have proof in that pod of mine, but I need to deliver it before they destroy us again. We don't have the same defences this time and they're more powerful than ever. It could wipe us all out"

"So where is the niece?"

"No one knows. Probably ran off with some Quarkzoid"

Kevin didn't even bother asking this time.

"Now, it's vital I get back to that pod. If you earthlings could lend me some of your Ilzex, I can be on my way"

"W-what?"

"For starting up my pod, you must have broken through the pod case with that, Nevvix pods only open to metals from our planet, duh. The Qeldoix can open them since they're staying there right now" There was a clear hint of spite in Philip's voice. "Anyway, earth must contain the same metals which is lucky, heh. I won't bother you, just show me the pod please, it's urgent"

Kevin looked down at his prosthetic hand. The rock – uh, pod case – could only be opened by metals of the Nevvix planet? In that case ... where outside of earth had his hand come from ... and why did he have it? 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Possible concussion" Victor murmured, looking over his charts.

"Concussion? Mamma mia – that boy is barely human"

Victor sighed and set the charts down on the table. He looked tired. Even more tired than when he had a 36 hour surgery procedure, and that was saying something. As a man in the medical field, he assumed he knew every cause, every problem, every aspect of the human body. And yes this boy, this – thing – Kevin had brought back to the hospital challenged almost every basic biology fact. It was enough to keep him up at night, pouring over the internet. But for all of modern technology, there was not a single prior recorded case of a purple blooded homo sapiens.

Victor was not a superstitious man. He believed in facts and documentation, and as far ass documentation went, there was no such recordings of intelligent extra terrestrial life. The most recent mission to Jupiter had almost had a break through when they believed they had discovered a single celled organism on the planet. Unfortunately it turned out to be a piece of dandruff from a prior astronaut's mission, so even that wasn't credible. An entirely humanoid looking creature would be far too much of a stretch.

Angel could see her husband's thought process and she raised an eyebrow, before pulling down the curtain blinds to reveal a scene of Philip surrounded by several floating spoons. Kevin was trying, in vain, to pluck them from the air.

"I see your point" Victor sighed "But what can we do? We can't just let him go – what if .. theoretically, he IS an alien – then what? Hostile takeover?"

The sound of crashing spoons made both of them turn and look. Angel smiled slightly.

"I wouldn't worry too much"

Kevin perched gingerly on the edge of his bed, wondering why he felt like a guest in his own bedroom. Philip was eagerly exploring everything he could get his hands on – even breaking apart several of Kevin's possessions, only to write notes in a little book, and then reassemble them as if it was nothing. All the while he muttered in his strange, alien language.

"You earth people have very strange objects. How are these beneficial to the efficiency of your planet?" He asked, holding up Kevin's childhood stuffed bear. "Does it perhaps become a weapon of mass destruction? Ingenious – no one would look at it twice!"

"It – no. It's just a toy. I've had him since I was a baby"

"And what skills do babies possess?"

Kevin was thoroughly confused, so he made a vague waving gesture with his hand. "It's for fun, comfort I guess"

"And what are those?"

Poor Philip. He must have lead a very strange life on his ... whatever it was. A teenage boy – uh, alien – not knowing the concept of fun?

"Leisure – they help to amuse us"

"Is it part of training?"

"Training for what?"

Philip cast his eyes upwards.

"Well, I've been training since I was a toddler for the Nevvix's royal protection forces. Of course, after everything that happened with the royal family it wasn't beneficial so they immediately switched my training to intergalactic messenger" He saluted thin air "Day, night or meteor shower, that's us"

"You said there was one royal left alive right?"

"Oh yes, Queen Eirai. But she was already assigned a protector, so unless he dies, there's no one for me to protect"

"Who were you assigned to?"

"Her nephew, at least before he was killed"

"Killed?"

"Uh huh. During the Qeldoix raid that took over our planet his mother was killed and he was never found. We're sure they killed him and disposed of the evidence" Philip seemed to bristle with anger. "If I'd been older then it would have been my solemn duty to protect him till the end"

"Don't you have anyone to protect you?" Kevin asked, curiously.

"Well ... the empire. Supposedly. Not at the moment of course" He shrugged "But if I don't get that pod to the Qeldoix king he'll come after us again. Philip took a running jump onto the bed, his neon green eyes shining. A few small sparks crackled around his hair with excitement. "Please. Take me there!"

Kevin bit his lip. He knew Victor wouldn't allow the two of them to go off on their own, and he knew the Sraledo Geology lab would have found the broken meteor by now. He hadn't turned on the news just in case.

"I can ask Victor but .. he's suspicious"

Philip beamed, only focusing on the first part.

"No"

"But boss-"

"I can't let you go if you won't tell me where. Besides, it's too late, dinner's almost ready"

Kevin hung his head. He didn't want to tell Victor the truth and have to admit to sneaking into the lab. He also didn't want Philip's planet to die. Perhaps they could sneak out instead.

There was a stony silence around the dinner table as they ate their pizza. Philip was fascinated with the 'earth food', separating each of the ingredients from the cheese, and then cutting them open. Even Angel found this a little weird, so she switched on the news. Kevin dropped his slice of pepperoni.

was standing in front of Philip's pod, looking serious.

"The rock split open in the night you say?" An unseen reporter asked.

"Clean in two. Our janitor found it like this in the morning"

The camera panned to the split in half fragments, and the pod, which had several scientists gathered around it.

"We have reason to believe this was encased inside it. We're going to move it to quarantine in the morning, and see if we can get inside"

"And what do you think might be inside?" The body-less voice asked.

stiffened up, then leaned in close to the microphone.

"We can't say for certain but we have a theory here"

"Which would be?"

The scientist cleared his throat.

"Aliens"

The rattling sound of a plate caused Victor and Angel to turn around. Kevin's plate was still spinning on the table, but he and Philip had vanished.

"Drat, there's security everywhere" Kevin banged his fist on the ground.

"So? You earth people are nice. I'll just ask for my ship back-"

"No!" Kevin grabbed the hem of Philip's top and pulled him back into the bushes. "I wouldn't like to know what they'd do to you"

"To me?"

"Uh huh. It's best to stay low brow"

Philip frowned.

"But if this is where my pod is, they must have opened it here! And they'll have the Ilzex I need to get my pod going again"

Kevin shook his head "We don't have that"

"You must do – how else would you have opened my pod?"

Kevin looked down, then slowly lifted a hand.

"Your ... hand?"

"Uh, whoops" Kevin lifted his prosthetic one instead.

Philip stared at it, confused. He hadn't even noticed it before. He pulled it towards him, how glowing hair and veins illuminating the craftsmanship. He seemed excited.

"You earthlings are so funny! You should have told me you had –"

He turned the palm over and froze. Every muscle seemed rigid – even his hair seemed to freeze. Kevin gulped. Was it bad news? Did the hand belong to one of the Q-Qel – enemy warriors?"

But when Philip lifted his eyes to meet his new friend's, they were full of a completely different emotion.

"Had I known my liege ... had you told me!" Philip grabbed the prosthetic hand and shook it vigorously.

"P-Philip I'm kinda confused"

"The earth planet must have scrambled your memories – appearance too, you haven't been feeding on lumi fruit of course"

"Philip. What are you talking about?"

The teenager looked up at him, a mixture of awe and surprise on his face.

"Your hand holds the royal symbol of Nevvix. That can only mean one thing" Philip stood up, bowing gracefully "My original mission stands alongside my messenger duties. I am bound to serve and protect you, Prince Corveilis."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kevin stared at him, his mouth hanging open in a little O shape. Had he heard right? Prince? And that name ... it sounded familiar. Kevin wracked his brain, trying to cling to the memory. Ah yes, the name! The word even, that he'd heard in his dream so many times. When the woman crossed the room and picked up the – could it be? Kevin's mind was racing, and he sat down on the floor amongst the leaves. He could feel Philip's gaze resting on him, but he wasn't in the mood for questions.

Could Kevin be the baby from the dream? If he was the missing prince, perhaps it was a memory; and not a dream at all. It would certainly fit in with Philip's description of the planet's destruction, and would explain the technologies of his hand, and where he actually came from. But Kevin had always assumed he was left on Victor's doorstep by a poor mother who couldn't afford to be a parent, not dropped from outer space by a war ridden planet.

"My liege, are you alright?" Philip asked calmly.

Kevin nodded. He was shaking, but the gravity of the situation was beginning to dawn on him again and he shakily got to his knees.

"Philip I'm not ... I'm not who you think I am. I'm just Kevin. Perhaps I was your prince once, but not anymore ... I'm sorry"

"We can teach you! You're our beacon of hope in the rebellion-" Philip gasped "And your aunt! She'll want to meet you!"

Kevin shook his head solemnly.

"We're strangers. I have a life here with Victor and Angel and my friends and I .. I don't think I can handle all of this"

"I ... know it was a lot to ask of me" Philip looked down "We've been fighting for so long and .. you seem like hope"

Kevin looked down.

"I'm sorry Philip ... I'm not sure if it's my place any more" He looked up again, a steely resolution in his topaz eyes. "But I can tell it's important, so I'll help out any other way I can"

"Ace of trumps! Ha!"

The other three groaned as Gary swiped up their round of holographic nomination cards. He'd been getting suspiciously good hands the last few rounds, and yet Shaun was still undeniably at the bottom of the rankings. They each played their next set. Gary lead with a queen of spades. Robert passed over a 2 of spades, because it was his only one. They stared at Shaun, who paused for a few moments before selecting a card. He dragged it slowly across the hologame screen, and dropped it on the pile. The king of spades. Gary glared daggers, despite it being only the first hand of that round. Shaun dragged a 7 of diamonds to the player centre, but just before he dropped the card, Kevin came barrelling round the side of the building, panting. He stopped by his friends, pausing to catch his breath. They allowed him a few seconds to recover, and then once he started speaking they couldn't get a word in edgeways. Once the teenager had finished his tale, the other three exchanged quizzitive glances.

"Aliens" Gary nodded, beating a fist into his palm "Always knew they were real. Government's been hiding it from us, see?"

"Kevin I know your dream was a little strange, but what's all this about space war? And princes?"

"I think it's best if you just follow me" Kevin panted "Philip can explain"

Again, the three friends looked at each other. But it was clearly troubling their peer, so they decided it was best. As they set aside the hologame pads, Robert cast a quick glance down at Gary's screen and noticed a mod symbol on the upper corner. They were still arguing about his cheating when they arrived at the geology museum.

"Wait here" Kevin whispered, before going into the bushes.

The other three waited, twiddling with pieces of clothing and other assortments. It was quite late, and all three of the boys had curfews. In fact they wouldn't have agreed if their friend hadn't looked so serious and worried. Whatever was going on obviously meant something huge, so they figured they could at least hear him out. After a few moments, Kevin remerged from the bushes with the strangest boy they'd ever seen. He was so strange they even let out a little gasp, which they then tried to cover with timely yawns.

"This is Philip, and he needs to get back into the geology exhibit so he can find his ship. I told you what I could of the story – now do you believe me?"

The other three exchanged a final glance of cooperation, then turned back to their friends and nodded.

"What do you want us to do?"

Dr. Gabriel was finishing up for the day when he noticed a disturbance on the CCTV. Standing just outside the entrance were three boys who seemed to be in an argument. Knowing it was a pretty late hour for anyone to be at the geology museum still, he proceeded towards the entrance. He was met by three teenagers who were arguing viciously over a rock they found on the ground.

"What's all this?" The scientist asked, and the boys started pointing fingers at each other and shouting again.

"Calm down, you know with rocks you're in the right place"

The three of them nodded, and began to beg him to follow them. looked back towards the office, wary. But a few minutes surely couldn't hurt and there was no one else on duty, so he followed.

Once he was out of sight, Kevin and Philip emerged into the hallway, and slipped inside the room with Philip's pod. He let out a small squeal at the site of it and ran over.

"Told you it was here" Kevin smiled as Philip punched in the code to open it. The hatch opened up, and Philip was relieved to see the inside intact.

"Now hurry Philip! will be back any moment!"

"Are you sure you won't help us?" Philip sounded dejected just then, so much so that Kevin felt a twang of guilt in his chest.

"I want to! Truly but ... I'm not your prince ... I'm just Kevin"

"Princes are just people too" Philip sighed, and grabbed the ignition. Then he remembered.

"Ah, I still need some Ilzex for take off"

"Some what?"

"I told you" He gestured towards the other "Like your hand"

Kevin looked down, he knew nothing else like this existed on earth. But he couldn't just lose his hand. He said as much to his friend.

"I can't take off and deliver the message without it. I ... I'll get them to reforge a new one, promise. We'll drop it back off."

Kevin was dubious, but perhaps this was his punishment for not helping. Reluctantly, he unclipped the strap and handed it over.

"Be safe out there Philip ... please don't tell them what a failure their ... I am"

"You're not a failure my liege" Philip smiled "There's obviously something great here that you need to stay for"

Hm. There were his friends to stay for, Victor and Angel too of course. But Kevin had nothing else. No talents, no adventures. He was right all along, he truly was just Kevin. Perhaps this could be his moment. To do something right, something exciting. He had a choice to make. At least he thought he did, but it was practically made for him.

appeared at the doorway. The 'rock' had been a common pebble, and he thought the teenagers had been playing a trick on him. Then he noticed the open pod, and the two other teenagers.

"Hey!" He called.

"Uh oh, blast off time. Good luck Prince!" Philip yelled, grabbing the hatch on his pod.

Kevin didn't want to hang around and be chewed out by the geology scientists. He wanted adventure.

"Wait! I'll come!" He called, leaping into the cockpit seconds before Philip shut the hatch. 's muffled voice called to them from outside the pod. Philip pushed Kevin's prosthetic hand into the engine, causing him to wince as though his actual hand was being burnt. Then, with a click of the keypad, the pod began to rise. With increasing speed, it shot through the skylight. Higher, higher it climbed, Kevin was pinned to the back of the seat, eyes wide open in shock, every muscle coursing with adrenaline. Colours flashed before his eyes. White, yellow, red, then black. An array of blackness. The pod began to slow down, levelling out horizontally. Weakly, Kevin clambered over to the side and looked out of the pod window. Something huge and blue was beneath them. With horror, he realised it was earth. This time, Kevin was the one to faint.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Wait, he's coming around"

Kevin squinted through the blue light that seemed to be surrounding his head.

"Dim it!" It was Philip talking. Then he sighed, and began spouting words in his alien language. A chorus of 'ooh's came from people Kevin could not yet see, but the blue light around his head dimmed and he was able to open his eyes at last.

He found himself in a large, oval shaped room. It had a low ceiling, but what it lacked in height was made up for in width. The walls were as white and smooth as marble, but in the illumination of the spiralling columns in the centre of the room, they danced with as many colours as an opal. Along the walls were many strange slabs with aliens – for that's how Kevin considered them, even if he was one himself – were resting. However it seemed that everyone else on the planet was gathered around him, just staring.

Philip was chattering away to them, seeming annoyed by a surge of questions that poured from their mouths. Kevin had never been very good at languages. He could ask where the cinema was in broken French and that was about it. So, seeing as he couldn't understand them, he took the opportunity to study their features instead.

For the most part, they did indeed look human, with human skin tones. Many even had fairly natural coloured hair. Kevin counted a handful of brunettes, blondes, gingers and black haired aliens. The other half of the population had more bizarre colours like pink, blue, green, purple and red. The one thing that united all of them, regardless of hair or skin colour, were their swirling skin patterns. It made Kevin feel as though he was sticking out like a sore thumb.

Philip called something over his shoulder, and someone pushed through the group to the front. She was one of the taller beings, but had a youthful face which suggested she and Kevin weren't so far apart in age. Her hair was side shaved, with the rest of it falling as short kinky locks over the right side of her face. Her dark skin was embroidered with orange veins, which swirled into the hairline as they became a soft yellow. On the clipboard she carried was a drawing of a large comet. She and Philip exchanged a few words, then the teenager pressed two fingers against Kevin's forehead and he felt the same tingly sensation as before.

"Hello, member of earth society" She said at last. Kevin hoped that not every alien would need to do the pins and needles thing in future. "I am Conetillus. You may call me Comet" She pointed to the drawing on her clipboard. "Forgive us" She gestured to the crowd. "We don't see many ... visitors"

Kevin nodded, praying they wouldn't start asking questions. Then he recalled something – if what Philip said about him being the missing prince was true, it could be awkward if they found out. He interlocked eyes with his friend, who shook his head. It was not the time to tell them. For the meantime, Kevin was a stranger.

Suddenly, the doors in front of Kevin burst open, and although he could not see any of the outside for the brilliant white light, he could see who entered. It was a tall woman, much taller than any of the others, or anyone Kevin had ever seen on earth. She had a sweep of golden hair that tumbled to her waist, and which had little white flowers sewn into the plaits. Her glowing patterns, unlike the rest of the inhabitants, were silver. She approached the bed, and looked down at the stranger. She waved a hand, and Kevin braced himself for the 'fingers to forehead' but her one movement seemed enough.

"Alien. I am Queen Eirai of the Nevvix. State your name and purpose."

"I uh" Kevin stammered. If Eirai was the ex queens mother ... that made her his aunt. But he couldn't let his identity slip like this.

"I-I'm Kevin, M'am. I helped Philip. Erm, your messenger" He pointed to his friend. "I have no ... purpose"

Eirai studied him intently, her topaz eyes scanning for any sign of threat. She found none, but her defences weren't let down so easily.

"You did us a great service. The Nevvix thanks you. You may dine with us tonight before we prepare you a pod home"

"H-home?"

"We are in the midst of a war, Kevin of earth. We cannot afford to babysit"

And with that, she turned on her heel and was escorted out of the room by her guards.

******

"Hey Kevin, I gotcha something"

"Hm?"

The teenager looked up as his friend approached and sat down besides him. He placed a parcel in the teenagers lap and Kevin pulled the string with his surviving hand. As the fabric fell away, he couldn't help but beam. Inside the wrapping was a replica of his prosthetic hand. Philip grinned.

"Comet's not just a useful doctor; she's a great engineer too. Leant the skills off her uncle – I reckon he made your original one"

"Well whoever makes these things is a genius anyway" Kevin beamed, adjusting it to his wrist. This one somehow felt even better – it was lighter, and the fingers moved with more micro precision.

Philip smiled, pleased to see him so happy with the gift. He looked up at the stars. They were closer on his planet; he'd forgotten how far away they'd looked on earth. The shimmering blue of the Milky Way peeked at them in the distance, and Philip heard Kevin sigh besides him. He might be with his original people, but Kevin was homesick for earth. For Victor, for Angel, for his friend and for spaghetti bolognaise - his favourite dish. He was even homesick for his unborn 'sibling'. Nothing, not even being royalty makes up for the deep heart ache.

"Your highness ... it was right not to tell them. Not yet"

"I ... I think it's just better overall. Even if I tell them I'm not who I was supposed to be anyway. I'm just Kevin"

Philip grimaced sympathetically.

"You're anything you want me, my liege"

"Kevin, Philip. Just call me Keivn please."

"It feels wrong but ... alright. Kevin."

"Can I ask ... why do I look so similar to a human then? If I'm not one ... if I'm one of you? Why don't I ... glow or have your strange powers?"

"You haven't trained, or eaten lumi fruit" Philip pointed out. "After a few months of lumi fruit, our veins glow" He gestured to the purple ones that were running down his arms. "Since we eat those constantly we always have them. You never did so ... I guess you look like a human"

"But why do you look like humans in the first place?"

Philip shrugged.

"Don't you have things on Earth that look similar even if they're not?"

Kevin thought about this logic and decided to shrug it off. Sure, it was a weird coincidence. But it was better to think of it that way than try and connect dots that might not add up to anything.

The sound of footsteps made both teenagers turn. Comet stood behind them, her clipboard hanging by her hips.

"Come. Queen Eirai requests your presence in the dining hall."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Three large golden orbs hung from the ceiling. Or rather, were simply suspended above their heads, because Kevin couldn't see much of a ceiling at all. The above seemed to stretch endlessly into the dark abyss of space.

A long, marble-esque table stood in the centre of the room. It's legs were glowing with the same purpleish veins as the columns surrounding it, but the table top was a milky white. A centre piece caught Kevin's eye as he sat down. It was a golden triangle, entrapped in two overlapping silver circles. It hovered an inch from the table, and Kevin realised it wasn't the only floating object, because none of the plates or cutlery were actually touching the tabletop.

Eirai sat the head of the table, staring intently at her guest over her interlocked fingers. Kevin took a seat between Philip and Comet, well aware that every other pair of eyes was on him too.

A couple of Nevvix servants span around the table, serving helpings of food onto the plates, which dipped in their air with the weight. The other members began happily tucking into their food, little 'mmms' of appreciation circling the table. Eirai's plate was piled high, but she made no move to eat.

"We apologise if the food is ... not earthly. We were not expecting such company" She stated, her eyes never once moving from Kevin.

"I-I'm sure it'll be fine, y-you're majesty"

He looked down at his plate. If he tried hard, if he really squinted, it looked vaguely like sausages and mash. Sure, it was purple and green. But there was something ... mashy about it. He plucked a floating fork from the air, and dug in. It definitely wasn't sausage and mash. But it wasn't bad either. A little tangy for a dinner perhaps, but certainly edible, so Kevin tucked in. He was aware that, even as she ate, Eirai's eyes never once left him. This unnerved him slightly, but he supposed he did look quite strange with his non glowing skin.

After the feast, the Nevvix servants returned to clear the plates, and the members slowly rose from the table and bid the queen goodnight. Comet whispered something across the table to Philip in their language, but he shook his head. She looked dubious, but then she too rose from the table and bade goodnight. Once the room was clear, Eirai turned her attention to her two remaining companions.

"Philipxnethz, I request a little meeting with your ... friend here"

Philip gulped, but he knew better than to argue.

"If course my liege ... I'm sure you have many questions. I can assure you he is no danger"

"I believe not. Kindly resume your duties until I call you back"

"Yes, my liege" Philip bowed low. "Goodnight your majesty" He patted Kevin on the shoulder as walked past.

So. Now he, Kevin, was millions of miles from home and alone in a room with the icy leader of an alien race who happened to be his unknowing aunt. It was just going to be one of those days.

Like a graceful swan, Eirai rose from her seat and gestured towards a separate door.

"Walk with me, we have much to discuss"

With a feeling of trepidation sinking in, Kevin agreed.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, which unnerved the teenager. He took the time to sneak a glance at the new planet. It was small perhaps, but he could see families of Nevvix aliens hanging floating plant pods that glowed in the darkness. Through the windows he saw fathers and mothers chatting away on silver pod sofas, and watching odd alien games on funky gizmos that hung from their ceilings. A couple of Nevvix children ran in front of them, laughing and screaming. Loud, unearthly music resounded out of a nearby building, which windows were illuminated in orange lights. The sounds of adult Nevvix's screamed through the window, clearly having a good time. On they walked, until the sounds of the main city were far behind. The two figures approached a large, overgrown area of the planet, and Eirai prompted them forwards.

"Stop" She said abruptly, halting the teenager in his place. He looked up.

They stood before a large, stone ornament. It was at least 16 ft high, and entangled by luminescent blue ivy, which wound it's way around the crumbling statue. Kevin squinted, trying to see through the alien foliage. The only good thing was that the plants illuminated the features, so Kevin could see that it was a woman. Her features were familiar, and in many ways like those of the queen standing next to him. In her right hand she carried a large staff of some kind, but the end that pointed out into the sky had been snapped. In her left arm, there was a small bundle, with an arm reaching from the blanket. At first Kevin thought the hand had been knocked off, like the tip of the staff. Then he realised who it was. An icy chill ran through his body, and it had nothing to do with the weather.

"The truth is, Kevin of Earth, that I am not the true Nevvix leader. That would have been my sister, Evroid"

She snapped her fingers, and the ivy that covered the statue slowly wound down from around the ornament and dropped to the floor, where it slithered into the bushes of the park. Kevin recognised the statue as being just like the woman from his dream. His own mother ...

"Failing her, her son, Prince Corveilis, would be the true heir. But a terrible fate befell the both of them" Eirai kept her eyes fixed on the stone baby. "I try, Kevin of Earth – I try to lead my people towards a better future. But these Queldoix ... they don't take so kindly to our superior technology. They never did. We are war, Kevin. It is a horrible, devastating war, which has already torn apart families. I fear it will take away many more before we are able to stop it. I did not wish to involve the lives of other galaxies. I know not what Philipxnethz has told you. He had a great and honourable future layed out before him, but it was snatched ... and so was my only family. I have no heir, and should fate befall me, I'm not sure what would become of my people. I worry, Kevin of Earth. It is a deep worry, one I cannot escape from." Eirai sighed deeply, then turned to face her companion, tilting his chin so that their gazes met. "I like you Kevin of Earth, you remind me of Evroid, she had a similar sparkle in her eyes. I pray our paths may cross again." She smiled. "I simply wanted to share our story with you tonight, I think it may explain the sadness of the people"

"Philip told me ... a little" Kevin nodded.

"He has a great mission ahead of him" Eirai nodded thoughtfully "But he was born with the purpose of protecting, and a Nevvix protector takes that duty to his grave"

"B-but Philip's delivering a message that will stop the war right?"

Although the queen's eyes were on him, there was no emotion behind them.

"With any luck, it will cease the barbarity. But the Qeldoix no not the meaning of 'don't shoot the messenger'"

Kevin's heart leapt into his throat.

"Y-you mean they'll kill him?!"

Eirai's eyes looked straight through him.

"His primary objective is dead. He serves the Nevvix people now, and that message will save many lives."

"A-at the cost of Philip's?"

"Perhaps. I wish it were not so. But unless Evroid comes back from the dead, I'm afraid we have no choice. You will be returning to Earth tomorrow anyhow, it is no concern of yours. Goodnight, Kevin of Earth. I shall brief you in the morning before you depart" Eirai waved her hand, and with that, she left.

Kevin stood alone in the garden, his back pressed against the stone statue. He looked up, into the granite features of his mother. His aunt's word rang in his head. iUnless Evroid comes back/i.

Evroid couldn't, of course. But her son had never died. He had stood not even a foot away from his own flesh and blood. And she had told him that he was Philip's death sentence.

Anxiety raked at Kevin's insides that night. He was sleeping on a strange squishy bubble type material that night, in Philip's room. It was like an airbed, but much like the rest of the planet, had a soft glow to it. In the darkness, Philip's purple spirals illuminated the soft features on his sleeping face. He was a teenager just like Kevin. An innocent person in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong galaxy. Kevin was his doom, but also his chance at survival. The cost of course, would be Kevin's return home. Victor and Angel were probably worrying right this very second. No doubt Kevin's friend group was concerned too. Why did it feel like he had to chose between them and Philip? He rolled over, and tried to sleep. The image of Philips' sleeping face was engrained into his mind. He couldn't bear to think about that face if it never woke up because of him.


End file.
